Paper Stars (Voltron Legendary Defender)
by PenMelody
Summary: *・ * Although they were in the depths of space, the stars were made of paper 。.* .。 Hunk teaches the rest of the team to make origami stars
1. Hunk - Breathe In Breathe Out

It had been a dangerous battle. More dangerous and terrifying than any of the battles that had come before. The Galra had attacked without warning, Voltron's alert systems being the saving grace that got them to their lions just as the ominous battle ship had arrived. They had been sleeping, and were groggy. They made mistakes, they got stressed. It was terrible.

It was only natural that this terror, combined with the stress and panic he had been forcing down ever since the start of the garrison, had pushed Hunk over the edge into dangerous levels of panic. Levels Hunk knew pre-warned an attack.  
He hadn't had a panic attack since the second night of the garrison, but that one seemed small in comparison to what Hunk was feeling now. And there was no concerned Lance to help him through it this time.

"Alright team, good work. Get back to the hangars." Shiro ordered.

 _Breathe in_

 _Breathe out_

Hunk struggled to take in air, feeling as if the world was twisting and turning as he tried to guide Yellow into the hangar. The world lurched again, as if someone had ripped the ground out from under his feet. He wanted to scream.

 _Breathe in_

 _Breathe out_

"Is everyone okay?"

He wanted to reply, to scream for his team to help him. For anyone to help him get rid of the horrible twisting in his gut, but he couldn't form the words. Only managing to elevate his panic further.

 _Breathe in_

 _Breathe out_

"Hunk, buddy? Are you good?"

Hunk tried to focus on Lance, but he couldn't. His knees gave out and he crashed harshly onto the metal flooring. He could hear voices, shouts of concern. But they were too far away.

 _Breathe in_

 _Breathe out_

 _Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out._

 _Breathe in-_

He couldn't breathe.

The other paladins rushed to the yellow lion's hangar. Lance being the first to arrive.

"We need to get to him." Pidge said, looking up at the hulking yellow robot. They tried desperately to pry open the door, trying to reach to their friend through the comms channel. But he didn't respond, oblivious to the pain and heartache his laboured breathing was causing the rest of the team.

"Please Yellow, let me help him." Lance begged, pleading with the yellow lion.

Yellow seemed to stare straight through him and into his very soul, testing his worth, confirming his intentions. After a few moments the lion reached a decision and allowed them entry.

Lance immediately rushed in, heading for the cockpit. Upon spotting Hunk knelt on the cold floor he rushed forward. Throwing his arms around the other paladin. Determined to bring him back from the pain and panic Lance knew was clouding his mind.

"A panic attack?" Shiro questioned, shock evident in his voice.

"Yeah." Lance answered, tilting Hunk's chin so the bigger paladin was looking directly at him.

"Hunk- hey, listen to me buddy, we're going to breathe okay?" Lance said. Hunk remained silent, and Lance forged on.

"Follow my breathing pal, nice and slow okay?"

Hunk started at the familiar warmth that encased him. Listening intently. Slowly he followed the instructions.

 _Breathe in. Breathe out_

Slower

 _Breathe in  
Breathe out_

That was better, he returned his friends hug, craving emotional support.

 _Breathe in_

 _Breathe out_

His breathing evened out and he pulled away from the hug. The hand twisting his inner organs lost some of it's tension and he breathed a sigh of relief and exhaustion. He took Shiro's extended hand and let himself be pulled to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Lance asked, looking directly into his eyes.

"No." Hunk answered truthfully, staring at his feet. He looked up to them and smiled tentatively.

"But I'm better than I was." He finished, giving Lance one last hug before rushing from the hangar. Shiro made to follow him, but Lance held him back.

"He needs space, to gather himself for a bit." Lance explained, shaking his head at the team's muffled protests.

Hunk collapsed on his bedroom floor, still panicked. He automatically reached for the closest sheet of paper, a blueprint for a garrison project he would never need to finish, and began shredding it into thin strips. His fingers selected a strip, and began expertly folding it into a small and delicate star. His childhood coping mechanism occupied his hands. It gave his spiralling thoughts and feelings a direction, calming both his mind and his heart.

He wasn't okay, not really. But with a few paper stars?

He would be better.


	2. Lance - Set In Motion

Lance could not sit still, not even for a moment. He was always in motion, whether it be dancing about the castle ship, or tapping his fingers on his thighs as he rested in his room. Lance fidgeted with anything and _everything_ that could be messed with.

It wasn't his fault, not really. He wasn't intentionally being annoying, and he wasn't aiming to be disruptive. He just...moved?  
Standing still wasn't something he could do, despite his attempts. Sure he could be still for a few moments if he really concentrated, but Lance preferred to not think that hard. So Lance fidgeted, fiddled, and moved in any way that he could.

Of course it wasn't entirely a bad thing! No, lots of good had come from his inability to keep still. No one else aboard the castle ship could tie a hundred different knots without looking at his hands. No one else aboard the castle ship was ambidextrous. And none of the other paladins could recite exactly what each button, lever, or pulley within their lions did from memory. But Lance could. Because Lance fidgeted.

However the habit wasn't always a good thing either. His leg drumming patterns annoyed Pidge to no end, especially because there was no discernible rhythm to it. His finger snapping annoyed Shiro, his foot tapping annoyed Coran, and any and all zips and buttons on his clothing had been removed by an irritated Allura. Meanwhile to Keith he was just annoying. But Lance couldn't help himself.

Hunk observed as Lance fiddled with a small bit of tech he had discovered somewhere. It made a clicking noise when pressed, and Lance had been at it for several minutes. Luckily, it was just he and Lance in the rather large kitchen, and Hunk had been putting up with Lance's habits since the start of the Garrison.

However, this noise was particularly infuriating for some reason. Hunk stared about the room, trying his best to ignore the irritating click coming from beside him. If only Lance had a quieter object to fidget with.

Unconsciously Hunk tore a failed recipe idea in two, and then paused as sudden inspiration struck him. He quickly tore the paper into more strips and turned to Lance.

"Hey Lance, let me show you something" Hunk said quietly, scared about sharing his coping mechanism. But if it stopped the stupid, never-ending clicking? It was worth it.

Hunk demonstrated how to make his a star, expertly folding the thin strip with gentle hands. He then removed a jar from his pocket and poured his other stars onto the table.

Lance wanted to ask why he made stars, but he'd been friends with Hunk for ages. He knew that the gentle giant would explain in his own time, he just needed a moment to steel his nerves first. Lance fiddled with his sleeves while he waited for Hunk to speak again.

"I make these to calm myself down" Hunk explained, self-consciously prodding at the stars before him. "They help me relax."

Lance smiled at Hunk, glad that his friend had found a way to relieve his anxiety, even if he didn't quite understand how the little stars helped.

"That's great, buddy!" Lance encouraged, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Hunk smiled and placed a few strips on the table, before leaving Lance to his own devices.

Lance picked up one of the strips, twirling it slowly through his fingers as he thought. Hunk always had a knack for addressing issues in a roundabout way. It infuriated Lance sometimes, but he understood. Hunk wasn't a confrontational person, but he had this self-need to help everybody he could. Thus he improvised, giving gentle prods in the right direction but never directly addressing the issue. Lance knew Hunk had told him about the stars for a reason, and some way, somehow, Hunk thought the paper stars could help him.

Lance sighed, swapping the strip of paper to his other hand. Hunk was a kind soul, a heart of gold in a world where not everybody was a good person. He loved hunk- he really did. But sometimes he had no idea what the bigger paladin was trying to tell him.

Lance looked down at his hands, and gasped in shock as a smile lit up his features. Hunk was a genius, disguised as a lovable engineer.

There in his hands was a tiny paper star.


	3. Coran - Empty Hallways

Hunk stared intently at Coran as he fiddled with a small, fiddly, Altean piece of technology. It whirred slightly in his hands, and seemed to emit sparks every few ticks. He had originally been watching Coran as he explained how the "shocking" piece of technology worked. But as Coran had turned to look at the wide bridge window he had tugged at his moustache. Causing Hunk to stare at it for a moment before reaching a rather concerning conclusion about his usually immaculate moustache.

The normally perfect specimen of facial hair was lopsided.

It wasn't overly noticeable, but Hunk was used to looking for small details. But even so he probably wouldn't have noticed if Corans stressed tugging hadn't drawn his eyes directly to it. Hunk brushed the matter from his mind, resolving to deal with it after he learnt how this alien technology. He listened back into Corans instructions, only to realise that Coran had seemed to start his explanation again. Right from the beginning. Coran didn't forget what he was saying. Sure the guy was quirky, and you often couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. And he was enthusiastic. _Very enthusiastic_. Annoyingly enthusiastic even!

But Coran never lost his place or forgot what he was saying. Hunk watched as Coran tugged at his moustache again, restarting his explanation once more. Hunk rather thought he was beginning to sound like a broken record.

"Coran, are you okay?" Hunk asked, gently placing a hand on the altean's shoulder. Coran started, having been midway through repeating the same sentence he had already said three times. Coran turned to him, shoulders untensing as the shock wore off.

"Fit as ever, number two" Coran said cheerfully, beaming a grin that Hunk knew to be entirely fake. He stared at Coran, noting his moustache, the bag under his eyes and the slight waxy texture to his skin.

"Don't lie to me man" He said, frowning at Corans rather obvious attempts to divert his concern.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Coran insisted. Turning to look back at his tech, conveniently turning his back to Hunk as well. Hunk grabbed the tech from Coran's hands and set it gently on the nearby control panel.

"Coran," Hunk began, struggling to find the words he needed to say. He took a deep breath and looked up into Coran's purple-ringed eyes.

"Coran, I know you better than that" Hunk started, shaking his head as the other began to speak. "We were captured together, we cook together, I know you better than all the other paladins." Here hunk dropped his hand from Coran's shoulder and crossed his arms, trying to find the best way to phrase his concern.

"This act might work on the others, but it won't work on me. Don't lie to me."

Coran stiffened before relaxing, smiling sadly, his defiance broken by Hunk's obviously heartfelt words.

"I should have known- you are the yellow paladin after all." Coran whispered. He moved to the bench, patting the spot beside him in invitation. Hunk sat down and waited for Coran to speak.

"Do you know how many hallways are in this castle?" Coran said, staring at the stars through the window. Hunk shook his head in the negative.

"Three hundred and seven hallways, four hundred and fifty six bedrooms, and three thousand five hundred and eighty four other rooms, not including the bridge" The Altean listed. His eyes were no longer staring at the stars, fixated on something Hunk couldn't see.

Hunk stared at Coran, open mouthed at the revelation of how big the castle truly was. But Coran wasn't finished.

"This castle is designed to hold two hundred soldiers, the royal family, their staff, their advisers, the soldier's family, and a team of over one hundred Alteans solely for maintaining the castle, now there's five paladins, one princess, and me. One castle mechanic trying to do the work of over one hundred." Coran sighed, reaching up to tug on his moustache again. Hunk gently pulled his hand away from the already lopsided piece of facial hair and handed him a strip of paper. Coran smiled, and to Hunk's surprise, began folding it into a familiar paper star.

"King Alfor made these all the time for Allura, I had almost forgotten about them." Coran said, accepting another strip and beginning the folding process.

"Princess Allura sleeps in the Queen's quarters now, but her old nursery is covered in mobiles and strings of paper stars." He reminisced, mind lost in memories of times long since passed. Hunk gently took the list of tasks from Coran and tore it into two sections.

"It's not just one castle mechanic Coran" Hunk corrected, keeping one half and giving the other back to Coran. "I may be new to this, but I want to help. Don't take it all on yourself."

Coran smiled, tucking his now shorter list into the breast pocket on his coat.

"Thank you, Hunk" he said before exiting the bridge, in search of one long forgotten bedroom in four hundred and fifty six. A bedroom that he had travelled to many times, usually with a gift, or perhaps food in his hands.

He was looking for a nursery. A nursery filled with memories, laughter, and garlands of paper stars.


	4. Pidge - Mind At Work

It was dark, the gentle lights peeking beneath the doorway not quite enough to guide his way from the bed. Hunk stood anyway, determined to navigate the darkness on his heroic and dangerous quest to find the nearest, futuristic space bathroom. It had been several weeks since they had been kidnapped from their home planet by a giant, sentient blue robot lion, and Hunk _still_ wasn't sure of the way to the throne.

Hunk thought he knew where he was going, as he rather confidently made a wrong turn and wound up in the hallway that he was pretty sure connected to the main recreation areas of the castle. He decided that he'd much rather find his way from a place he knew then turn the other way into the darkened maze of the ship. Hunk was thankful that Allura had programmed the lights to dim as the sun would on earth, mimicking day and night cycles, but right now he could really use some light. Hunk hustled into the kitchen, knowing that if he didn't find a bathroom soon, the castle was going to find itself covered with his internal fluids. Well... the one that wasn't vomit anyway.

Hunk by passed the kitchen, hesitantly heading down the hallway, but doubled back at the sound of a very cute yawn, followed by a tiny, almost unheard sob. Hunk sighed and turned back around, Pidge needed him.

And Pidge came before his bladder needs any day.

Following the sobs, he headed into the nearby lounge room, where he found a red faced and sobbing Pidge bent over her laptop.

"Stupid code, why won't you just work?" She mumbled, rubbing frustrated at tired eyes. Hunk moved forwards and looked over her shoulder, attempting to spot the problem.

"You're missing a semicolon." Hunk observed, causing the rather sleepy and distracted pidge to jump a mile. This unfortunately sent both her laptop and a cup of something green flying. Hunk managed to catch the laptop, but the green sludge-like substance in the cup flew through the air, splashing rather artistically on his yellow shirt.

"Hunk! Don't do that!" she looked down at his now dirty shirt and frowned.

"It's okay! I needed to go to the bathroom anyway." Hunk consoled, but made pidge promise to stay where she was. After getting much needed directions he headed off to the bathroom. Contemplating what he had just seen.

Pidge and Coran were starting to look quite similar in health. Pidge had no rings under her eyes, or maybe she did. Hunk wasn't sure, her eyes had been red from crying. What he had seen of the code hinted at a biological scanner big enough to scan a galaxy. It looked to be difficult work, which was only proven by the green-clad girl's apparent frustration and lack of sleep. Hunk knew she missed her family, god they all did, but Pidge needed to sleep.

Hunk made his way back to the lounge. Mercifully easy to spot as the light from within spilled unobstructed to one of the three hundred and seven castle halls. Pidge was where he had left her, slouched sluggishly over her now closed laptop. Not wanting a repeat of earlier, he cleared his throat.

"So, is your mind keeping you awake?" He asked, hoping to start with the lighter of his concerns.

"Yeah." she said meekly, looking down at her own feet.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, suddenly realising that he no longer actually remembered what a penny looked like. The thought was saddening, but Hunk found that he didn't really care. It was silent for a moment before pidge hesitantly started to speak.

"Space is _really_ big." She began, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I didn't realise how big until we were in it, and I'm not sure what to think of that."

Hunk waited patiently for the spillage that he knew was coming. Ready to offer support to the smaller paladin.

"Matt and Dad could be anywhere, and I'm here trying to find them in a place that literally goes on forever!" Pidge cried, shoulders shaking with repressed sobs. Hunk pulled her into his arms and allowed the girl to cry into his chest. God knows the tiny kid wasn't big enough to keep emotions this potent inside.

"We'll find them Pidge, and when we do, I'll bake a special cake." Hunk said. He continued to whisper promises of grand parties and bear hugs to the troubled girl, attempting to calm her.

"But right now, you need to sleep." Hunk sighed, noting the prominent exhaustion in her eyes. Pidge mumbled into his chest and Hunk struggled to make out the words.

"I can't stop thinking"

Hunk knew that feeling all too well. The inability to shut down ones mind had plagued him as a child. His rather impressionable mind latching onto the possible things that could go wrong in school, or even a trip to the grocery store. Hunk did not miss it at all.

Hunk marvelled at the similarities between Pidge and Lance. Lance needed to calm down physically, and pidge needed to calm her mind. The stars had worked for lance, he saw no reason that they wouldn't work for Pidge. He really ought to become a therapist at this rate. Hunk smiled at the thought, something to contemplate another day.

He fished some strips from his pocket and guided Pidge to sit down on the couch.

"Doesn't Lance carry these around with him? I always see him folding, and I know it makes stars, but I never figured out how it works. It's like they're hollow, but you need a certain combination of folds to achieve that and you'd have to factor in the paper length and width and-" Pidge rambled before she was interrupted by a rather loud yawn.

Hunk smiled gently at her and demonstrated how to fold them. He watched as Pidge made one of her own, easily picking up the simple steps. Silently they folded stars together, Hunk leaving Pidge to sort through her own thoughts. He marvelled at the calming qualities of simple origami, and smirked when he took a sideways glance at Pidge.

Her thoughts were silenced as the hands of the tiny girl folded equally tiny stars. She nodded into a deep sleep, tired eyes closing at long last.


	5. Shiro - Let Us Help You

Hunk sucked in a quick and silent breath as he did his best to hide. He felt as if he was back in the garrison, hiding in bins so he could sneak out for pizza and girls with Lance. However Lance wasn't with him now, and he wasn't here for pizza. Hunk resumed his watching.

It had been at least three hours now since everyone else had gone to bed. But Hunk remained awake, hidden in the darkness of the hallway in hopes of proving his own suspicions wrong. It had been hours and the cramp in his legs was slowly becoming unbearable. But still he didn't move. Waiting. Watching.

There! Hunk crouched further down as he watched a terrifyingly pale Shiro stumble from his room. Not just walk, but stumble like a drunkard. Hunk sighed and followed quietly as Shiro headed to the bridge. It seems that it wasn't just Lance that found the sight of space comforting. Hunk himself loved the stars, but looking at them just reminded him how far from home he was. He shook the thought from his head. That wasn't important now.

Hunk pushed open the bridge door to find Shiro standing in the middle of the room. He was sweaty and out of breath, and looked as if he were struggling to breathe. Hunk knew those symptoms all too well.

"Shiro." He said gently, moving towards the older paladin. Said man turned around quick enough that hunk heard the slight pop of misplaced air. His eyes were wild and his hands had come half way up into a defensive position before recognition gleamed in haunted eyes.

"Hunk, go back to bed." Shiro ordered, still shaking in an effort to draw breath. Hunk shook his head and moved closer to the paladin. Shiro's eyes went glassy and his arm began to glow faintly.

"Hunk! Leave!" he shouted, dropping to his knees. Hunk took a deep breath and took another step forward.

"Hunk! I'm warning you, it's not safe. I can deal with it." Shiro ordered.

Hunk was quiet for a moment as he felt fear, concern and anger fill his veins. His anger was misplaced, this wasn't Shiro's fault. But that didn't stop him from arguing.

"Dammit, Shiro!" Hunk screamed, taking another step forward. "Stop trying to handle everything yourself, we are here for you, we're supposed to come to each other with these things!" Angry tears slid down his face and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself before moving towards the still-shaking black paladin.

"Shiro." he tried again. Softer this time, only just audible over the laboured breathing of the room's other occupant. "Shiro, don't do this to yourself." Hunk murmured, taking another gentle step forward. He smiled slightly when Shiro didn't attempt to back away. But he was still sad that the small action had caused the older man to flinch.

Shiro looked up at him, the crazed gleam slowly leaving his eyes. Hunk crossed the remaining distance and kneeled in front of him.

"Shiro, you need to breathe okay?"

Hunk lead Shiro through his own panic attack routine. The reversal of roles was strange to him, but he would do anything to help Shiro, or any of the other paladins for that matter.

"Good." Hunk sighed when Shiro's breathing returned to its normal state. He slid down to the floor, gently pulling Shiro down with him so his head was resting on his stomach.

"Shiro, Lance has shown you my stars, right?" Hunk questioned. At Shiro's mumbled affirmation he continued on.

"They help me after a panic attack. Try it for me?" He held out one of his own strips. Shiro took it from him and began the slow process of folding it with only his flesh and blood hand, his Galra one too strong for the delicate task. Hunk smiled and handed him more strips, pleased when Shiro began to relax into him. However the smile faded when Shiro made to stand up. Hunk reached out to stop him and Shiro sighed before speaking.

"Go to bed, Hunk" he said, running his flesh arm through his white hair. Hunk frowned at the still haunted eyes of his leader.

"I'm not leaving you to deal with this on your own. We all have bad days- or... nights in your case. We can tell when you aren't coping Shiro, and it hurts us when you won't let us in."Hunk pleaded, moving into a sitting position so he could properly address him.

"We know that you're just trying to protect us, keep our innocence or something heroic like that. But you're too late. We lost that when we blew up the first Galra ship and took all those lives. Just let us help you, Shiro."

Shiro looked down at the paper stars in his hands. Hunk was right, he needed help. He couldn't deal with this on his own. He looked into Hunk's gentle face, which was frowned in concern for him. It warmed him and gave him the courage to accept his words. Almost as if Hunk was reading his mind, he repeated the words.

"Please Shiro, let us help you."

The black paladin looked again at the paper stars. He needed this, he was allowed to be a little bit selfish. It was okay.

"I-I need you, will you please stay?" He whispered, scared that Hunk would laugh at his fearful words, so out of character. He needn't have worried.

"As long as you need, Shiro."


	6. Allura - Days Gone By

For once, Hunk hadn't taken the lead. This time, someone had come to him for help. That usually didn't happen, but he took it in stride.

Sure he had seemed a little scared when the princess had marched up to him with a fierce determination in her eyes. And sure he had needed to beg pidge to not tell the others that he had attempted to hide behind the smaller green paladin (a feat that was impossible, he wasn't sure what he had been thinking).

In his defence, a determined Allura was a stubborn Allura, and that usually didn't end well. In fact- the last time Allura had looked like this, the castle defence system had been set upon them.

So Hunk thought he was justified in this reaction.

Or at least until he had seen the faded garland of paper stars clutched tight yet carefully in her grip. Allura raised an eyebrow at Pidge, a clear message. Pidge scurried from the room, on her way to warn the others that the lounge was off limits until they yellow paladin and the princess emerged from it (hopefully, in Hunk's case, with all limbs attached).

Hunk sat down on the couch, patting the spot next to him. He really should have expected it. What with his mini therapy sessions with most of the castle's occupants and Coran's own excitement over the stars?

He should have seen it coming.

Allura sat beside him, still clutching her old paper stars. She said nothing, so Hunk took the initiative.

"I can show you if you like?" He asked, motioning to the garland.

"Please." she replied, and he noticed that her voice was breathy, as if she had been crying. He showed her the steps, and she began to fold. Adding each bright star in between the faded ones on the worn string. It was silent for a while, but Hunk dared not break the quiet. He knew deep down, that Allura wasn't quite finished with him.

"Coran sent me." She blurted abruptly. Hunk supposed that made sense. They all knew that the destruction of her father's memories was paining her. But it seemed Coran had thought of a solution.

"Father promised to teach me so that I could make them for my own children. He was going to teach me on my two-hundred and eighth memory party." She said, clutching the stars to her chest. Hunk had no idea what that was (later he would ask Coran, and together they would figure out that it was similar to a twenty-first birthday) but for now, he kept his mouth shut, letting the usually reserved princess speak.

"But Altea was destroyed before that happened." She finished. Hunk could see tears in her rainbow-flecked eyes, and chose not to notice when the princess looked down to hide it. He noted the fast-paced way Allura was making stars and busied himself making the strips for her, giving Allura a moment to compose herself.

"I miss him." She whispered, before dabbing at her eyes and staring pointedly at the ceiling.

"We know, and that's okay. You're allowed to grieve Princess" he consoled.

And grieve the princess did. She spent the next few hours crying in Hunk's arms. Hunk, finding himself in this position for the second time within the week, rubbed soothing circles on her back.

Stories were shared of friends she had made, and potential suitors that her father had turned down for various reasons. Each one seemed fine to Allura, but her father apparently had a knack for spotting those who were less than suitable.

After a few hours the tears dried out, and Allura thanked him for the talk before leaving to allow Hunk to cook dinner. Later, when she sat in her seat Hunk smiled.

Allura had paper stars wound into her snowy hair.


	7. Keith - In Hiding

Tension ran high in the paladin kitchen.

It had started with the last training session. A routine mental forming of Voltron, using the stupid headsets. Keith snarled at the thought. His thoughts were his own thanks- not anyone else's. It was difficult to block the dark thoughts from the other paladins. He didn't need their sympathy. Keith stared indifferently as Hunk moved to stand beside him.

"Keith, who was the lady?" Hunk asked, genuinely curious to the shaded figure that had appeared momentarily while there were connecting mentally. Keith tensed, feeling his muscles freeze at Hunks seemingly innocent question. This of course did not go unnoticed by his current interrogator. Or by the not so subtly eavesdropping Lance.

"Jeez Keith, why so tense? People would think you have a stick up-"

"Lance!" Shiro reprimanded, cutting off his scathing remark. Keith growled lowly, prompting Hunk to reach out to him. Harshly he shoved him off and turned to stride from the room.

"Keith! Wait!" Hunk said, attempting to follow him.

"Go away Hunk! You're so annoying." Keith sneered, turning his back and all but running from the room. But not before Hunk saw the pain and torment in his slightly glassy eyes.

He held a hand up to Lance's rambled protests. Turning to face the rest of the paladins, he looked directly at Shiro.

"Something's wrong." Hunk said, frowning at the pure anguish he had seen in his fellow teammate's eyes. Hunk sensed that Keith's anger was merely hiding something much deeper, more potent than rage. Shiro made to follow Keith, but paused. Sighing, he lowered himself back into the kitchen chair.

"I can't, not without hurting myself." He admitted. Hunk nodded, glad that Shiro was looking out for his own well-being.

"I'll do it." He said. The others protested, not wanting hunk to be hurt further by Keith's barbed words. But Hunk merely smiled, making his way from the room.

He found Keith in the first place he thought to look. He had honestly expected him to come here. What he hadn't expected was for Keith to just be standing in the middle of the floor, letting the small drones attack him without trying to defend himself. His bayard hung uselessly at his side, grip loosening with every second.

"End training!" He shouted, bolting into the room. When the robots retreated, Keith turned to him. Hunk expected anger, but was greeted with something much worse. Any amount of rage would have been better than what he was seeing now.

Keith's face was wet, his tears leaving tracks upon his pale cheeks. But his face was completely empty, void of everything even as tears continued to stream from blank, unseeing eyes.

"Keith?"

Keith didn't respond, just continuing to stare into the distance. Hunk moved over to him, and sat him down on the floor. His chest to Keith's small back. Keith still showed no outward reaction.

Slowly he unclenched the troubled paladins hand and placed a strip in them. Using his own hands to guide Keith's. Together they folded a star, followed by another. Keith began to respond, doing the simple process on his own. Hunk moved to gently rubbing his arms up and down the others arms. Providing support for the obviously emotionally unbalanced boy before him.

"I... didn't mean what I said." Keith whispered, and Hunk gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"I know." Hunk replied. He paused before continuing "How are you feeling?"

Keith shrugged, hands automatically moving to accept another strip.

"I don't know, I-I'm not good with feelings" He admitted softly. Hunk turned Keith to face him, looking into mercifully less empty eyes.

"Are you happy?" He asked, starting with something easy. Keith shook his head. Hunk continued like this, naming random emotions for the boy, easy ones, progressing into harder more personal.

"Sad?" At this Keith hesitated for a moment before nodding his agreement.

"Good job, now we know where to start." Hunk praised, squeezing the boy's hand in his own.

"Why are you sad Keith?" At this Keith began to cry again, and Hunk let him, waiting for explanation that he knew was coming.

"It-it's my mother's birthday" He finally said, clutching Hunk like a lifeline. And just like that, Hunk understood.

Keith wasn't a very open person. His anger was merely a cover for feelings he didn't want the others to see. Hunk was proud of Keith, proud that he had opened himself to hunk.

"I understand" He whispered to Keith, stroking his hair.

Keith looked out the window behind Hunk and smiled.

Although the real stars were beautiful, he much preferred the paper.


	8. Paper Stars

Learning to breathe in a place without air  
Where danger to them was for the best.  
A forgotten childhood coping method  
Dealing with the stress

A way to move, and a way to touch  
A way of simply being  
A friendship strengthened, a clicking silenced  
By a small fiddly thing

Stress of many, pushed down to one  
And all of the work too  
One mechanic struggling to keep up  
Mercifully becomes two

A crying child, not even of age  
Dealing with emotions too big  
A careful rip, and a simple fold  
Reminding her to live

A troubled man, with tapered memories  
A father in all but name  
Allows himself to be helped  
No longer scared or ashamed

A beautiful warrior, a daring princess  
Struggling with echoes of the past  
A simple pastime, bringing joy and a few tears  
Happy and peaceful at last

An angry face, a sad child  
His life ruled by anger and pride  
Allows himself to let go  
A friend by his side

A ragtag group, becomes family  
Facing life's torments together  
And although they were in the depths of space  
The stars were made of paper.


End file.
